Posts Tagged ‘obedience’
Gloria Copeland — Lessons in Obedience – Adam Part 1
Posted by admin | Filed under Gloria Copeland, Kenneth Copeland Ministries
Let’s examine the lives of some of those Old Testament men who were faced with the choices of life or death, obedience or disobedience. We’ll learn valuable lessons from their lives. Adam is our example of disobedience, while Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Moses are good examples of obedience. We will see the choices these men made and the consequences.
Some Scripture passages may be familiar. You may have heard and read them many times, but I remind you of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthian church: “Now these things befell them by way of a figure—as an example and warning [to us]; they were written to admonish and fit us for right action by good instruction…” (1 Corinthians 10:11, The Amplified Bible).
These examples of men faithful to God will help inspire us to faithfulness as well. They will reveal to us the victorious outcome of obedience. Or, as in Adam’s case, the disastrous outcome of disobedience. We will let these men, all of whom had a choice, encourage us to make the right choice. First we’ll look at Adam’s downfall that came because of failure to do what God said.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth (Genesis 1:26). And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Genesis 1:27-28).
Gloria Copeland
Gloria Copeland — Old Testament Obedience
Posted by admin | Filed under Gloria Copeland, Kenneth Copeland Ministries
God has always desired a people who would choose to walk with Him—to follow Him and to come into agreement with Himin the earth.
Generation after generation He has desired a people He could elevate to such a place that all the nations of the world would know they were the ones He had blessed.
But there has always been a problem. It existed in the Garden of Eden and was in the children of Israel in the wilderness. To a great extent, it’s in the Church today. The problem? Disobedient people.
Under the old covenant, the people had to be obedient by keeping the Law diligently, with their souls—their minds, wills and emotions.
Under the new covenant, we’re to keep God’s Word not only with our souls, but with our hearts (our spirits). It’s so much easier for us to be obedient to God than it was for them because we have a new heart, born again in the image and nature of God.
More than ever, we should be obedient to Him because now we don’t have to walk according to Old Testament law, but in newness of our born-again spirits. We’ve been reborn to be obedient.
While we’re here on the earth, we must do what we can for God. This includes being obedient and victorious in every area of our lives.
Jesus knew this when He was a man on the earth. He was raised among people who knew they had to obey the voice of God and keep His statutes. He learned what the prophets of God before Him had said, and began a walk of perfect obedience.
Gloria Copeland
Gloria Copeland — An Act of Courage
Posted by admin | Filed under Gloria Copeland, Kenneth Copeland Ministries
Although it’s great to know God is hooked up with you, that He never leaves you nor forsakes you, before He can release His power on your behalf, you have to be hooked up with Him in return. The way you do that is by obeying His Word. Joshua 1:7 says: “Only you be strong, and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law, which Moses My servant commanded you. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go” (AMP).
Do you know obeying the Word is an act of courage? It really is, because when you obey the Word and believe God in a situation, you’re swimming upstream. You’re going against the current of the world.
When most of the people and all the circumstances around you are screaming unbelief in your ears, it takes courage to stand on God’s Word and not be moved. But once you make the decision to do it, you’ll be ready to activate God’s three-part formula for success.
You’ll find it spelled out in Joshua 1:8: “[1] This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, [2] but you shall meditate on it day and night, [3] that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success” (AMP).
There they are. Three simple steps directly from the mouth of God. Steps that enabled Joshua to conquer the land of Canaan and bring Israel into its inheritance. Steps that will enable you to live like the conqueror God designed you to be.
Let’s look at them one by one.
Gloria Copeland
